NBC Sports has updated their NASCAR Driver Power Rankings following a phenomenal weekend of entertain at Darlington.
The rankings were made by NBC Sports’ Mike Hembree following the showdown that was won by none other than Williams Byron. To no one’s surprise, that helped him keep his top spot, both in playoff points and the power rankings.
You can check out the full rankings below, featuring some fascinating movement, both upwards and downwards.
NBC Sports’ NASCAR Driver Power Rankings following Darlington:
- No. 24 William Byron (—)
- No. 5 Kyle Larson (—)
- No. 9 Chase Elliott (+3)
- No. 19 Martin Truex Jr. (+1)
- No. 1 Ross Chastain (-2)
- No. 11 Denny Hamlin (-2)
- No. 8 Kyle Busch (—)
- No. 20 Christopher Bell (+1)
- No. 22 Joey Logano (-1)
- No. 4 Kevin Harvick (NR)
Dropped Out: No. 45 Tyler Reddick
Now, you can’t start any conversation about last weekend’s Darlington race without speaking about Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain. The duo battled throughout the day on Sunday, and ultimately a wreck ruined their chance at a victory.
Still, Larson’s spot in the NBC Sports’ NASCAR Driver Power Rankings remains unchanged at No. 2. While Larson has been in contention for many victories over the last couple of weeks, they haven’t come for one reason or another. Luckily, his fortunes will likely change over the summer if he keeps it up.
As for the aforementioned Chastain, he remains the NASCAR Cup Series point leader. However, he dropped two spots in NBC Sports’ rankings. Much like Larson, he’s been in contention for a lot of wins, but has had difficulty closing races out. Time will tell how much, and how soon that changes for the Trackhouse Racing star.
Moreover, William Byron was the beneficiary of Larson and Chastain’s tomfoolery. The wheelman of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet found victory at Darlington. It was even sweeter, as he was bumped out of a checkered flag at the track last spring. It also helped Byron remain atop Hembree’s rankings, and take the playoff point lead for the season. Not too shabby.
Elsewhere, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver is making a beeline for the top spot. Since Chase Elliott returned to the sport, he’s rocketed up the NBC Sports’ ranking. Now at No. 3, he could climb even higher with a couple victories to his name.
Alas, it’ll be fascinating to watch these rankings change over the coming weeks, but for now, we’ll enjoy the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race on Saturday.
